Burglaries Shake Studio City Neighborhood as LAPD Responds with New Security Measures
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LAPD deploys mobile surveillance and increases patrols along Ventura Boulevard after string of burglaries in Studio City and across San Fernando Valley
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The mobile surveillance unit was recently installed on the corner of Ventura Boulevard and Ethel Avenue at the request of the LAPD. A company representative told Eyewitness News the unit uses artificial intelligence technology to detect activity and provides surveillance that can be shared with law enforcement.
One resident, Skylar Logan, said the added technology brings reassurance.
"I love it. I say more cameras, more surveillance just to make us safer," Logan said.
Another neighbor, Tracey Ormandy, said she supports increased security after her nearby home was burglarized twice. Ormandy said the neighborhood already pays for private security through a company called ACS, whose patrol vehicles were seen driving through the area.
Logan said while the mobile surveillance equipment is proactive, the added security has not yet stopped crime from occurring.
"They're really on top of it but it hasn't stopped the crime from happening," Logan said.
Last week, Mayor Karen Bass directed the LAPD to add patrols along Ventura Boulevard amid a rise in reported break-ins and robberies, including incidents at local businesses and homes.
One Studio City resident, identified only as Nina, described how police responding to her home invasion were immediately called to another nearby incident.
"After they were taking the report about my home invasion, they got another call of another home invasion within a mile away. It's pretty scary," she said.
The LAPD said the department shifted its resources to add more visible police patrol vehicles with license plate scanners, horse-mounted police and air support.
The LAPD told NBC4 Investigates that a series of recent burglaries appear linked to a organized group connected to crimes from San Francisco to San Diego. The group scans neighborhoods looking for security cameras, easy access to homes and packages left outside.
In the last two weeks, there have been at least 19 break-ins or attempted burglaries around the valley, from Sherman Oaks and Valley Glen to Woodland Hills to Porter Ranch.
Earlier this week, about $120,000 in bags and jewelry was stolen in another Studio City home burglary.
Despite the recent surge in break-ins around Ventura Boulevard, LAPD crime data shows that overall burglaries are actually down.
Since the beginning of 2026, burglaries have been down 32% when compared to the same timeframe last year. Recent trends show more burglaries are happening at homes, not businesses. Arrests have come in less than 7% of cases.
Homeowners in the Toluca Lake neighborhood say they started a grassroots effort about a year and a half ago during an uptick in burglaries in the San Fernando Valley.
Neighborhood watch captains Robyn Allyn and Katherine, who asked NBCLA not to use her last name, started going door to door, eventually gaining the support of nearly 1,000 people living on 40 streets in a 1.22-square-mile zone.
"It's created this joy in the neighborhood that people are looking out for each other," Allyn said. "There is not a single person in the community that doesn't know that there's a text chain and an awareness for neighborhood watch."
Each street has a street captain, who reports incidents to the two women.
Whatever they feel like is of concern, of note, something that stands out, they share the data with the LAPD and other neighborhood watch captains throughout the Valley. In their arsenal is 20 FLOCK cameras that read license plates, and eight more on the way, all privately monitored by the neighborhood watch.
"Everybody's eyes are on the street, and they've made it very uncomfortable for these crews and people watching our houses to stay on the street, which is the biggest problem, is the surveillance," Allyn said.
Allyn says none of the break-ins or attempted burglaries have been within the area that she and her neighbors are closely patrolling.
The LAPD told NBC4 Investigates it has made at least one arrest based on information shared from the Toluca Lake network of contacts.
LAPD Chief Jim McDonnell last year warned residents about the risk of showing off valuables on social media.
"You're showing off Rolexes, fancy bags, fancy cars, this kind of stuff. You make yourself a target," McDonnell said at a meeting with the Sherman Oaks Homeowners Assn.
The burglary crews may also follow people from upscale restaurants to see what kind of car they own. Burglars may also put tiny cameras outside a home in a flower bed to monitor residents' movements.
The private security company said the mobile surveillance unit will remain in the neighborhood for the foreseeable future at the request of the LAPD.
This article was generated with AI assistance.